Ladies who pump and bottle feed BM

Etta07 · May 2011

I have to pump and feed DS from bottles for today and tomorrow so we can take him back in for a weight check after knowing exactly how much he consumed.

Anyways I have a couple questions for you:

How do you pump as much as your LO needs? Do you have to pump more often than your LO is eating? Can you keep milk after it has been warmed up to use at the next feeding? And how much do they typically eat at one feeding? And what age is your LO?

AppleRidge · May 2011

Typically, you won't get as much from pumping as he gets from BFing, so you will likely need to pump more often than he normally eats.

You can re-refrigerate and reuse warmed milk, but I would only do it once, and only for the next feeding.

My LO is just a few days shy of yours. He eats 4 oz. bottles when he's home with the nanny. The rule of thumb is to assume he eats the average of 25oz. per day, then divide by the average number of daily feedings. You can adjust from there depending on whether he seems hungry or full after a bottle.

thatsmary · May 2011

How do you pump as much as your LO needs?

I am at work during the day from 6:30-4:30 and I pump 4 times, but get 5 bottles worth. DD drinks between 3-5 bottles during that time.

Do you have to pump more often than your LO is eating?

No. However, at home I feed DD on one side only and at work I am pumping both sides.

Can you keep milk after it has been warmed up to use at the next feeding?

My DD will actually drink cold milk so we sometimes just do that, but to answer the question I would only use it for the next feeding.

And how much do they typically eat at one feeding?

My DD eats 3.5-4 ounces depending how much I've pumped into that bottle. She will tolerate 2.5-3, but will be hungry much sooner.

And what age is your LO?

15 weeks

mocknine · May 2011

My LO eats 5oz at each feeding every 3-4 hours (she is 11 weeks). My pediatrician had suggested to make a starting point (let's say 3 or 4 oz) and go up half an oz at a time if LO wants more.

You can reuse a heated bottle, but only up to 24hours after it was heated. Do not reuse any bottle that was started though- you can only use that bottle for one hour (due to the possible bacteria).

I definitely didn't pump as much as DD ate (which is why I was supplementing because I eventually became an exclusive pumper).

W&R&K · May 2011

I have a really good supply, so I just pump when DD eats and she gets enough. She is 3 months old, and recently went through a growth spurt, so now she eats about 5 oz every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Before that she was eating 4 oz at the same intervals.

Angelwax99 · May 2011

mocknine:
My LO eats 5oz at each feeding every 3-4 hours (she is 11 weeks). My pediatrician had suggested to make a starting point (let's say 3 or 4 oz) and go up half an oz at a time if LO wants more.
You can reuse a heated bottle, but only up to 24hours after it was heated. Do not reuse any bottle that was started though- you can only use that bottle for one hour (due to the possible bacteria).
I definitely didn't pump as much as DD ate (which is why I was supplementing because I eventually became an exclusive pumper).

This is definitely true with formula. But with breast milk, our lactation consultant told us it's fine to use a 'started' bottle as far as the next feeding (within 3-4 hours). Our LO hasn't had any issues.

OP - I've been an EP since the beginning. LO is a few days younger than yours and he eats 4 oz. every 2.5-3 hours. When I was pumping 5-6 times a day, I would be freezing 2 bottles worth every day. I've started weaning off the pump (3 times a day) and now produce just enough to keep up with him. Definitely don't go less than the number of times your little one typically feeds, though, or you risk lowering your supply.

Etta07 · May 2011

Thank you ladies! This was very helpful.

So basically the 8 oz my LO sucked down this morning, shouldn't have happened? We are trying to figure out why he isn't gaining weight and they want to rule out not enough calories first before we explore other reasons where the tests will be more invasive. I am just a bit of a nervous wreck and really want to know now what's wrong with him but I know that we just have to go through the process.

W&R&K · May 2011

I wouldn't say 8 oz was too much as long as he didn't spit up. Sometimes DD takes a lot more than her usual 5oz, then won't be as hunger or take as much the next feeding. It just depends on the baby. I hope you get everything figured out! It sucks when there is something wrong!

chardonnay24 · May 2011

I EP. I have an established routine and freezer stock because I've been doing this for 3.5 months. I pump 4X/day and get between 5 and 9 oz per pump. A eats 4.5oz 6X/day, so it averages to be just enough for him. If I am having a low day, I'll use freezer stock.

Do you have any BM stored? That's how I'd get started - feed him in a bottle and pump right after. Pump as often as you'd nurse him, and if you find you aren't getting a lot you can always add in a pump or two during the day. If you don't have anything stored, you'll basically have to anticipate when he'll be hungry and pump enough to have ready for him. BM can sit out at room temp for 6 hours so you don't have to worry about it going bad before he wakes up.

If he doesn't finish a bottle, I put it in the fridge for the next feeding and add chilled milk to that bottle and warm it back up. If he doesn't finish it again, I throw it out (since the fresh/old has been mixed already). I would start with 4 oz and move up from there if your LO seems hungry still.

Oh, and A is 3.5 months.

Firedancer1013 · May 2011

OP- I pump on days that I work and BF on days that I don't. Today, DS got all bottles of EBM and I pumped 6 times. DS took 6 five ounce bottles, for a total of 30 ounces today, and I was able to pump 32 ounces in those 6 pumping sessions (I got about 10 my first pump, 7 the next, and so on. The last pump I only got 2oz just about 30 mins ago). If you guys are concerned about weight gain, it may help even to do this one or two days a week and see if it helps. My DS was having some trouble gaining weight, and I think that may be because when he nurses he tends to fall asleep very easily the past few weeks. But, when I went back to work, DS started getting 2-4 days per week where he took bottles, and he had a very quick weight gain (almost 2 lbs in less than 2 weeks) right around this time. I don't know if it was his growth spurt naturally or it was the bottles, but it doesn't hurt to see if doing the bottles will help him gain weight while you still can nurse most of the days of the week. Don't get me wrong, I HATE pumping, but while I'm at work it doesn't bother me as much because I know I can't nurse him anyway and I'm doing the best I can by pumping. Just a thought.

StephDK · May 2011

What about doing a breast feeding yield to measure? Maybe he isn't nursing efficiently? If you pump 8 oz that is all well and good but if he isn't drawing that much out himself then that may be your answer...just a thought

vflipo · May 2011

I've never been able to keep up with her, so she gets about 8oz of formula/day. She eats about 24-28oz between 6-7 feedings. 4oz/bottle. She's 12w.

Jenniferk08 · May 2011

I've been pumping since Mj was 2days old. Right now I get about 15-20 oz my first pump of the day and 8-10 oz at each of my other 5 pumps through out the day. I tend to pump about every 3-4 hrs, which follows Mj's feeding schedule.

He is almost 4 months and eats about 7oz 5 times a day so I'm pumping plenty for him to eat and have a nice freezer stash.

You can use the milk a second time but after that it must be thrown out.

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